Gauri Lankesh murder sparks outrage, Karna govt forms SIT

07 September 2017

"Her killing is an ominous portent for dissent in democracy and a brutal assault on freedom of press", the Guild said in a statement.

Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday lashed out at the online trolls over the killing of senior journalist Gauri Lankesh, asserting that he strongly condemns and deplores the messages on social media.

Indian activists, politicians and journalists yesterday demanded a full investigation into the murder of Gauri Lankesh, a newspaper editor and outspoken critic of the ruling Hindu nationalist party whose death has sparked an outpouring of anger.

"People say that the Prime Minister is quiet and Prime Minister has not said anything".

Late Tuesday night, unidentified assailants fired at Gauri Lankesh outside her home in an up-scale residential suburb of Bengaluru.

With the killing in poll-bound Karnataka sending shock waves, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a SIT probe headed by an Inspector General of Police (IGP).

No deadline has been fixed for the SIT, but they have been asked to take up the work immediately, said Siddaramaiah, who heads a Congress government.

The AIPSN calls upon all its constituents to hold protest meetings against this murderous act, perpetrated by the forces of intolerance that are a threat to the country's unity. After parking her auto outside the gate and walking to the main entrance of her home the assailants fired at least seven rounds, police said.

New Delhi:Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi said "truth can not be silenced" and demanded that the culprits be tracked down and punished. Now, Lankesh has also met her end in nearly exactly the same circumstances. "The point is the entire ideology is to silence voices", Gandhi said.

The Press Club also condemned the killing and demanded that the culprits be booked at the earliest. "The BJP, the central government or any organisation related to us has no relation with this incident", Union minister Nitin Gadkari said.